New Holland brand comes back to Southwest Florida

Rick Tromble, seated in the tractor, and Dan Ross, manager of Tromble's SWFL Tractor LLC, a New Holland equipment dealership at 6150 Porter Road in Sarasota. Tromble is a farmer in Michigan who once owned 45 Taco Bell
restaurants in Florida.

Published: Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at 9:10 p.m.

The Michigan native runs a 700-acre cattle and farming operation in the Cheboygan area.

He sends a semi-trailer of hay to supply Florida feed dealers and his wife's equestrian stables in Englewood every other week.

Now he's branching into agricultural and construction equipment sales.

Tromble recently opened a New Holland dealership on a 1.5-acre plot overlooking Interstate 75 in Sarasota County and hopes to generate at least $1.5 million in sales his first year.

"I feel we shouldn't have a problem hitting that," he said.

There aren't any other New Holland dealerships for miles around, but the brand is not new to Southwest Florida.

Two New Holland dealerships were in the area during the real estate boom -- one that sold agricultural machines in Tampa and another that sold construction equipment in Sarasota. Both collapsed during the Great Recession and no one picked up the franchises until Tromble expressed an interest.

"At one point, they employed 400 people in rental, sales, service and in the parts department," said Pete Lutjens, who used to work for the Sarasota operation and was hired on as sales manager when Tromble entered the picture.

So far, Tromble only has six people on the payroll. But he said that number could ramp up quickly. A lot of New Holland equipment still is in the area, and demand for spare parts and filters is bound to make the cash register ring.

He is also looking for a site along Interstate 4 in Plant City to serve strawberry farmers in that area.

In addition to New Holland tractors, bailers, skid steers and track loaders, the dealership plans to sell trailers manufactured by Load Trail and mowers made by Country Clipper.

Tromble was especially excited by the mowers, which can be easily cleaned and serviced because the blades are attached to a block that can be flipped up in front of the vehicles.

"The biggest competitor is John Deere," said Dan Ross, Tromble's business partner and the dealership's manager. "They're all over the place. They have seven locations."

Tromble's origins

Tromble grew up on a farm in Michigan that has been in his family since the 1870s.

The 90-acre spread was homesteaded by his great great grandfather. His father and grandfather were born in the farm house there.

"They always told me that one day it would be mine," Tromble said. "It ended up that way. But it wasn't given to me."

Tromble had to come to Florida first.

In 1988, he bought a Taco Bell in Venice and expanded the chain to 45 restaurants before selling out to a private-equity fund in 2007.

Some of the profits went to buying the family farm in Cheboygan, where he now raises 500 head of Angus cattle.

"We also produce corn, wheat, soybeans, barley and oats on another 600 acres, and we sell hay both there and in Florida," Tromble said.

Proud of his crops, Tromble said he began shipping hay to Florida after his wife began boarding a horse at stables in Englewood.

"They were getting hay from Canada that looked pretty crappy," Tromble said. "I told them if they wanted to see good hay, I would send them some next year."

The hay was so popular that Tromble began sending a truck loaded with 736 bails every other week.

After solving the hay problem, Tromble turned to tractors.

On his Michigan farm, he operates 10 tractors and four hay balers and all but two of those machines were made by New Holland.

In Florida, he operates a New Holland tractor and a skid steer, a small machine popularized by Bobcat. But finding parts has been difficult.

The nearest dealership is in Fort Myers and it specializes in Kubota machines.

So Tromble contacted New Holland and asked Bill Rex and Elliot Rose of Coldwell Banker Commercial to help him find a site with good visibility from I-75.

"What Rick was looking for wasn't available," Rose said. "So we had to research property owners and see whether any would be willing to sell."

Fortunately, Robert Price was willing to negotiate.

For $1 million, he happily vacated a 10,000-square-foot warehouse with service bays overlooking I-75.

From there, Tromble expects to serve the region from Tampa to Fort Myers and east to Arcadia and Wauchula.

<p>Rick Tromble is a busy man.</p><p>The Michigan native runs a 700-acre cattle and farming operation in the Cheboygan area.</p><p>He sends a semi-trailer of hay to supply Florida feed dealers and his wife's equestrian stables in Englewood every other week.</p><p>Now he's branching into agricultural and construction equipment sales.</p><p>Tromble recently opened a New Holland dealership on a 1.5-acre plot overlooking Interstate 75 in Sarasota County and hopes to generate at least $1.5 million in sales his first year.</p><p>"I feel we shouldn't have a problem hitting that," he said.</p><p>There aren't any other New Holland dealerships for miles around, but the brand is not new to Southwest Florida.</p><p>Two New Holland dealerships were in the area during the real estate boom -- one that sold agricultural machines in Tampa and another that sold construction equipment in Sarasota. Both collapsed during the Great Recession and no one picked up the franchises until Tromble expressed an interest.</p><p>"At one point, they employed 400 people in rental, sales, service and in the parts department," said Pete Lutjens, who used to work for the Sarasota operation and was hired on as sales manager when Tromble entered the picture.</p><p>So far, Tromble only has six people on the payroll. But he said that number could ramp up quickly. A lot of New Holland equipment still is in the area, and demand for spare parts and filters is bound to make the cash register ring.</p><p>He is also looking for a site along Interstate 4 in Plant City to serve strawberry farmers in that area.</p><p>In addition to New Holland tractors, bailers, skid steers and track loaders, the dealership plans to sell trailers manufactured by Load Trail and mowers made by Country Clipper.</p><p>Tromble was especially excited by the mowers, which can be easily cleaned and serviced because the blades are attached to a block that can be flipped up in front of the vehicles.</p><p>"The biggest competitor is John Deere," said Dan Ross, Tromble's business partner and the dealership's manager. "They're all over the place. They have seven locations."</p><p>Tromble's origins</p><p>Tromble grew up on a farm in Michigan that has been in his family since the 1870s.</p><p>The 90-acre spread was homesteaded by his great great grandfather. His father and grandfather were born in the farm house there.</p><p>"They always told me that one day it would be mine," Tromble said. "It ended up that way. But it wasn't given to me."</p><p>Tromble had to come to Florida first.</p><p>In 1988, he bought a Taco Bell in Venice and expanded the chain to 45 restaurants before selling out to a private-equity fund in 2007.</p><p>Some of the profits went to buying the family farm in Cheboygan, where he now raises 500 head of Angus cattle.</p><p>"We also produce corn, wheat, soybeans, barley and oats on another 600 acres, and we sell hay both there and in Florida," Tromble said.</p><p>Proud of his crops, Tromble said he began shipping hay to Florida after his wife began boarding a horse at stables in Englewood.</p><p>"They were getting hay from Canada that looked pretty crappy," Tromble said. "I told them if they wanted to see good hay, I would send them some next year."</p><p>The hay was so popular that Tromble began sending a truck loaded with 736 bails every other week.</p><p>After solving the hay problem, Tromble turned to tractors.</p><p>On his Michigan farm, he operates 10 tractors and four hay balers and all but two of those machines were made by New Holland.</p><p>In Florida, he operates a New Holland tractor and a skid steer, a small machine popularized by Bobcat. But finding parts has been difficult.</p><p>The nearest dealership is in Fort Myers and it specializes in Kubota machines.</p><p>So Tromble contacted New Holland and asked Bill Rex and Elliot Rose of Coldwell Banker Commercial to help him find a site with good visibility from I-75.</p><p>"What Rick was looking for wasn't available," Rose said. "So we had to research property owners and see whether any would be willing to sell."</p><p>Fortunately, Robert Price was willing to negotiate.</p><p>For $1 million, he happily vacated a 10,000-square-foot warehouse with service bays overlooking I-75.</p><p>From there, Tromble expects to serve the region from Tampa to Fort Myers and east to Arcadia and Wauchula.</p>